Marketing Week
8 January 2009

  • 09 The Year Ahead

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Our contributors to last years Year Ahead magazine were right to be guarded about the prospects for most sectors in 2008. With our experts prescient understanding of markets, readers may wish to steel themselves before turning to the predictions for 2009. However, while bad news about the economy in the media is relentless, this is matched by the dogged optimism of marketers. Those who have experienced recessions in the past, in particular, appreciate how to seek out silver linings, ...

  • 118 118 Parts company with VCCP

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest is understood to have been dropped from The Number 118 118's roster just three months after it was appointed.

  • A Day in the LIfe: Ian Roberts

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    I could be working with an opera company one day, a technology start-up the next, or representing a European music festival.

  • Amazon is UK's most popular site reports Nielsen

    Tue, 13 Jan 2009

    Online retailers continued to attract record numbers of visitors in the fourth quarter of 2008 despite the tough trading conditions. The top ten e-tailers averaged a 37% increase in unique visitors between October 1 and December 31 compared to 2007, according to figures released by Nielsen Online.

  • AMV cops 2.5m Met business

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    The Metropolitan Police has appointed Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO to handle its 2.5m advertising account. The account moves from Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, which had handled the business for over four years.

  • ASA director general to be new Information Commissioner

    Tue, 13 Jan 2009

    Advertising Standards Authority director general Christopher Graham is leaving to become the new Information Commissioner. He has been with the watchdog for eight years.

  • Associated appoints former Emap chief to Mail on Sunday role

    Tue, 13 Jan 2009

    Associated Newspapers has appointed Marcus Rich to the dual role of managing director of The Mail on Sunday and the new position of the Mail Newspapers deputy managing director. Rich was previously at Emap where he was managing director of the advertising and lifestyle magazines divisions.

  • B&Q reviews 54m ad account

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    B&Q is reviewing its 54m advertising account currently held by JWT, but has appointed Rapier to work with it on an interim basis. JWT will repitch for the business.

  • Bellwether sounds gloomy note as budgets are slashed

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Marketers are continuing to slash advertising spend and even greater cuts are expected in 2009, according to the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising’s Bellwether Report. It says companies are setting budgets below the previous year’s level for the first time in the report’s nine year history.

  • BHF uses heart simulator to drive awareness of disease

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    The British Heart Foundation is seeking to raise awareness of heart and circulatory disease through a new campaign featuring footage of a reconstructed beating heart.

  • Blyk loses chief executive

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Shaun Gregory, the chief executive of free mobile network Blyk, is leaving the company for personal reasons. His role will be taken over by Antti ÷hrling, the co-founder and current executive director of the company.

  • Brands chase orphan consumers

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    UK high streets are awash with billions of pounds worth of dispossessed revenues after the collapse of Woolworths and the closure of hundreds of stores in the music, food, furnishings and children’s clothes sectors.

  • Britain stuck in broadband slow lane

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, says Britain is stuck in the broadband "superhighway slow lane". He is calling on urgent action to help protect and grow the UK's creative industries.

  • Britain's battle with the bulge

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Even when they're not on a weight-loss diet, the British are now counting calories as never before, which has led to a huge shift in eating habits as people try to develop a healthy everyday diet

  • BSkyB's new season of HD shows

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    BSkyB is promoting its high definition (HD) programming in a campaign to launch its new season of shows on Sky One and Sky One HD.

  • BT promotes free call numbers

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    BT has launched a campaign to highlight that 0845 and 0870 calls will now be free. The ad has been created by Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO and launches on January 16.

  • Callaway Golf launches fashion-style campaign

    Tue, 13 Jan 2009

    Callaway Golf is hoping to increase the "desirability" of the brand with a new pan-European ad campaign using fashion-style photography. The ads have been shot by luxury fashion photographer Richard Foster, who has worked for brands such as Mulberry ...

  • Cescau joins Tesco in non-exec role

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Tesco has appointed former Unilever group chief executive Patrick Cescau to its board as a non-executive director. Cescau stepped down as Unilever group chief executive at the beginning of the year after nearly four years in the role.

  • Change4Life partners raise questions over who will reap the rewards

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    As the nation's minds turn to the annual January detox, this weekend saw the launch of the first ads for the £75m Change4Life programme, which the Government is billing as a health revolution. The scheme, announced in the summer, aims to combat growing obesity levels ...

  • Clarke and May hit out at Portman Speedball action

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Wine expert Oz Clarke and Top Gears James May are understood to have started a row with the drinks industry body, The Portman Group, after the duo lashed out at the potential ban of a beer called Speedball. It is under investigation by the group for its associations with illegal drugs.

  • CMW wins Peugeot fleet business integrated account

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Peugeot has appointed CMW to handle the 1m integrated account for its fleet business following a five-way pitch against undisclosed agencies. There was no incumbent.

  • Cox named as Oasis Dental Care marketing chief

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Oasis Dental Care, the chain of private and NHS dentists, has appointed former United Biscuits marketer Graham Cox as its first marketing director.

  • Daily Star bucks Christmas downturn

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    The Daily Star was the only newspaper to enjoy a month on month growth during December, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures. The holiday period saw big falls in circulation across the daily and Sunday newspaper sectors.

  • Dell appoints chief marketing officer

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Dell has promoted Erin Nelson, vice-president of marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa, to chief marketing officer. She replaces Mark Jarvis, who is stepping down from the role but will be a consultant to the company.

  • Directgov promotes public service access

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Directgov, the Government's online information service, is launching a new campaign to highlight how it can help people access public services and advice. It is the first work for the service by Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, which won its 15m account in October.

  • DoT continues Think! Drink Drive campaign

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    The Department of Transport is launching a national poster campaign to highlight the risks of drink driving. The latest burst of the Think! Drink Drive campaign will start next month. The push, created by Leo Burnett, consists of a number of executi...

  • Endemol appoints global marketing and brand chief

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Endemol, the company that makes Big Brother, has appointed Paul Johnson to the new role of global head of marketing and brand partnerships. He will commence in March.

  • Fox Interactive Media appoints Daglish as commercial chief

    Tue, 13 Jan 2009

    Fox Interactive Media has appointed Simon Daglish, the former GCap Media national sales director, as vice-president, commercial. Daglish will lead UK commercial strategy for the News Corporation-owned digital division.

  • Game expands COO role

    Tue, 13 Jan 2009

    Game has given chief operating officer Terry Scicluna responsibility for the chain and its subsidiary chain Gamestation in the UK and Ireland. He has also been appointed to its board.

  • Government funded anti-obesity campaign seeks agency

    Tue, 13 Jan 2009

    The British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK are seeking an agency for a joint anti-obesity project. The campaign will aim to raise awareness of obesity's link with cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

  • Heinz seeks actors from old Beanz ads

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Heinz, the food brand, has launched a campaign to find actors and actresses who appeared in its Beanz adverts during the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties. An advert in The Sun today (January 12) calls for anyone involved in the ads to get in touch with its agency, Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO.

  • Hit TV show gains radio slot

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    NME Radio, the digital-only station, is supporting the third series of Skins with the launch of a daily radio show dedicated to the show. Skins Radio will launch on January 12, two weeks before the TV show.

  • Hitachi promotes green credentials

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Hitachi Europe, the consumer electronics brand, is launching a new brand campaign focusing on its green credentials. It will run in the UK, France, Germany and Poland.

  • HMV moves into branded gig venues

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    HMV is moving into the live music business via new joint venture with venue operator Mama Group. The deal will see three famous venues be rebranded ...

  • House of Fraser sales on the rise

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    House of Fraser says aggressive marketing helped the department store chain to grow sales by 4.5% over the five weeks to January 3. The positive results come in a week of varying updates from rival retailers, including John Lewis and Debenhams.

  • HP reviews technology arm's 69m global brief

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Hewlett-Packard has called a review of the $100m (69m) global marketing and media account for its Technology Solutions Group (TSG). It aims to consolidate the business into one company.

  • Iceland acquires 51 Woolworths stores

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Iceland, the frozen food retailer, has bought 51 former Woolworths stores for an undisclosed sum, with plans to create up to 2,500 new jobs. The news comes just days after the closure of the final Woolworths store.

  • In search of a youth connection

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Young consumers, with their ever-changing trends, buzzwords and priorities can baffle marketers and their traditional research tools. Reaching them requires a new approach, says Sarah Forsey

  • It's time for us to pull together and consume like we never have before

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    The future may look bleak, but we can see it through. One day we will pay tribute to the shopper's sacrifice - crushed under foot at the Selfridges sale

  • ITV Player available on Virgin Media

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be available on demand on Virgin Media after the broadcaster signed a four year deal with ITV. ITV Player will be available to Virgin Media's 3.5 million cable TV customers.

  • Jaguar Land Rover to cut 450 jobs in UK

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Struggling car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover is axing 450 jobs in the UK. The cuts will include 300 management positions and 150 salaried agency staff.

  • JD Sports reports bullish profit forecast

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Fashion and sports retailer JD Sports has delivered a bullish forecast of full-year profits, following strong sales during the Christmas period. Like-for-like sales rose 2.8% in the five weeks to January 3.

  • JJB Sports to make loss of up to 10m

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Sportswear retailer JJB Sports is expecting a full year loss of 10m after taking a hit in sales. Its lifestyle division has performed particularly badly.

  • JWT names Vick and Petyan as joint directors

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    JWT has promoted Tom Vick, the group business director for Nestl?and Joe Petyan, the global account director for HSBC, to joint managing directors of the agency.

  • Land of Leather goes into administration

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Furniture retailer Land of Leather has been placed in administration this afternoon (January 12). The move follows its stock market trading suspension earlier today after months of speculation over its future.

  • Lastminute.com marketing head joins Boots

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Julie Davidson, the UK marketing director at Lastminute.com, is leaving the travel portal to join Boots. It is not clear what role she will take at the high street chemist but it is thought she will work closely with Boots marketing chief, Elizabeth Fagan.

  • M&S lacks simple solution

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Despite the Citys relatively positive response to Marks & Spencer executive chairman Sir Stuart Roses salvage formula in the face of the worst Christmas sales in a decade, analysts say the high street retailer has a lot of work to do to ensure its chain of Simply Food stores returns to anything near its early runaway success.

  • Marketing Week Salary Survey

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Optimism is the default setting for marketers. It has to be when your job involves trying to change human behaviour. But the disruptive events of 2008 and gloomy forecasts for this year that put marketing budgets in the firing line, are expected to knock some of that confidence.

  • Mazda puts Waring incharge of marketing

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Mazda Motor Europe has promoted vice-president of sales Philip Waring to chief operating officer. He will handle the marketing responsibilities as part of his new role.

  • MediaCom scoops Langham media task

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Luxury hotel brand the Langham London has appointed MediaCom North to handle its media planning and buying business. It follows a three-way pitch against The Davies Media Company and Cream UK.

  • Microsoft offers sponsorship deals for music show

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Microsoft is offering brand sponsorship opportunities on its new online monthly live music show, MSN Xclusives. The show, which launches today (January 14), features live recordings from artists including The Pussycat Dolls and The Saturdays.

  • Morris leaves Lowe London

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Ed Morris, executive creative director of Lowe London, is understood to have left the agency despite earlier reports that he would continue in a consulting role.

  • Motorola UK marketing chief leaves amid restructure

    Tue, 13 Jan 2009

    Rachel Ward, Motorola's UK marketing director, is leaving as part of a wider restructure of the handset manufacturer. Simon Collinson, director of marketing strategy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will take on Western Europe as part of a widening of his remit.

  • Motorola's EMEA VP takes on emerging markets role

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Motorola has expanded the role of Andrew Morley, vice president of marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, to include Russia and key Asian markets.

  • Nandos in Peri-Peri Chips venture

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Nando's, the chicken restaurant chain, is expanding into the snacks market for the first time with the launch of Peri-Peri Chips. The premium range is being rolled out in Tesco stores now.

  • Nissan to slash 1,200 jobs in UK

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Nissan is slashing 1,200 jobs in the wake of a continuing fall in sales. It is planning to make the cuts at the UK's biggest car manufacturing plant in Sunderland.

  • Noble Foods set to launch free-range egg brand

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Noble Foods is launching a premium free-range egg brand later this month. It is hoped the range will appeal to consumers interested in ethically produced food.

  • Oystercatchers sells stake to 4C Associates

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Marketing consultancy Oystercatchers has sold a strategic stake in its business to procurement specialist 4C Associates. The full details of the partnership have not been revealed.

  • Pizza brand urges diners to tuck in

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Chicago Town, the frozen pizza brand, is encouraging consumers to "Tuck In" to the food they love and shun boring meals, as part of a 5m campaign to promote the brand. The ads, which break on January 12, will support the relaunch of its individual deep dish pizzas.

  • Pizza brand urges diners to tuck in

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Chicago Town, the frozen pizza brand, is encouraging consumers to "Tuck In" to the food they love and shun boring meals, as part of a 5m campaign to promote the brand. The ads, which break on January 12, will support the relaunch of its individual deep dish pizzas.

  • Poundland reports strong Christmas sales

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Discount retailer Poundland has delivered strong sales over Christmas as cash-strapped consumers turned to cheaper stores for bargains. Its like-for-like sales rose 3.9% over the five weeks to January 4.

  • Primark forced to remove ethical endorsement logo

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Primark, the high street budget fashion chain, has been forced to remove a logo endorsing the ethical credentials of its clothing over the weekend. It comes after a newspaper investigation which alleged that two of its suppliers are breaking employment and immigration laws.

  • Rapier to handle Heat ad campaign work

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Bauer Media has appointed Rapier to handle the advertising for its weekly gossip magazine Heat. It beat incumbent Quiet Storm, which handled the business for eight years, Adam & Eve and Karmarama.

  • Retailers had a "truly dreadful" December, says BRC

    Tue, 13 Jan 2009

    High street retailers experienced a "truly dreadful" December according to the British Retail Consortium. The trade body says that non-food outlets experienced a "torrid" month despite a "blizzard of promotions and deals."

  • Rolf Harris and Roy Walker star in Churchill ads

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Insurance company Churchill is launching a new TV ad featuring its nodding dog placed in new social situations. The ad for its motor insurance service will launch over the weekend (January 11) and follows the launch earlier this week of its home insurance ad.

  • RSPCA launches pig ignorance campaign

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is launching a new campaign to raise awareness of animal welfare. The Rooting for Pigs campaign launches today (January 12) in national newspapers.

  • S&N UK adds Tiger Beer to its portfolio

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    Scottish & Newcastle UK has secured a licensing agreement with Tiger Beer to import, distribute and market the Asian beer brand in the UK. The deal will start in March.

  • Sainsburys posts best ever Christmas performance

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Sainsbury's has posted its "best ever Christmas performance" after reporting a 4.5% rise in sales for the last three months of 2008. Despite tough trading conditions, the supermarket says that it is "well-positioned" to survive the downturn due to discounts and promotions.

  • Separate sales teams for Associated titles

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Associated Newspapers is restructuring its display sales department, spinning off the Evening Standard into a standalone team. The change will see it break away from the London Lite team which will now become part of the publisher's free newspaper division.

  • Shrinking ad budgets increase fear of job cuts at agencies

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Analysts are predicting a marketing services "bloodbath" early this year, as marketing communications groups look to cut costs and carry out the widespread job cuts announced at the end of 2008.

  • Sport Media Group pre-tax profits plummet by 18.2m

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Sport Media Group, publisher of the Daily Sport and Sunday newspapers, has seen pre-tax profits slump by £18.2m in its full-year results to July 31. It comes a day after the company announced it was trying to renegotiate the terms of its debt after it breached a banking covenant.

  • SSF senior strategist in Blue Rubicon move

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon (SSF) Group's senior strategist Spencer Livermore has defected to PR agency Blue Rubicon as head of strategy and planning. The former director of political strategy for the Prime Minister Gordon Brown leaves SSF less than a year after joining.

  • Tesco and Wedgwood, bookends of the marketing era

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Marketing milestones are flashing past and its only week two. Already the New Year has brought the demise of the worlds first consumer brand, Wedgwood. Its owner Waterford Wedgwood has gone into administration, though hopefully a private equity deal will save it. Should we read anything into the downfall of the pottery brand created in the 1760s? We might infer that the consumer society which it helped create 250 years ago is now going through extraordinary convulsions that will change ...

  • Tesco upbeat despite sales slowdown

    Tue, 13 Jan 2009

    Tesco has blamed its slowest Christmas sales growth since the Nineties on its "exposure" to non-food sales. The supermarket chain claims a 2.5% rise in like-for-like sales for the seven weeks to January 10 is "strong" despite the slowdown.

  • The Arts Council England reveals 16-agency roster

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    The Arts Council England has created a 16-strong roster of brand design and marketing agencies following a tender process. The organisation says it was looking for agencies that could help it "represent the creativity of the arts, artists and arts organisations".

  • This is the year for the bold and enterprising

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    It is with a New Year optimism that I return to work after a four-week holiday to India, whose galloping economy is obviously shrinking but nevertheless continues to exude confidence and self-assurance. Not that the fall in consumer demand or the shortage of business credit isn't hampering ...

  • Thompson urges C4/Five merger

    Mon, 12 Jan 2009

    BBC director-general Mark Thompson has supported a merger between Channel 4 and Five to plug C4’s future funding gap. Thompson today (January 12) called on the government to support the industry with “the right kind” of public-private collaboration.

  • T-Mobile MD quits

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    T-Mobile managing director, Jim Hyde, has resigned from his post and will leave the company at the end of March. The mobile operator is now undertaking a recruitment process to find his successor.

  • To ensure survival, companies should look back to the past

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Times of economic crisis are nothing new, neither are the methods that companies adopted to weather the storm to much sunnier futures

  • TUI launches campaign to reassure holidaymakers

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Thomson and First Choice are launching a co-branded campaign aimed at highlighting the fact that holidays booked through ATOL members come with a Government-backed financial guarantee. The push forms part of the TUI-owned companies’ “turn of year” campaign unveiled last week.

  • Veet set to launch electrical hair-removal premium range

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Veet, the hair removal brand, is launching into electrical products for the first time.

  • Viva Beverages to launch UKs first single-shot energy drink

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Viva Beverages, a US drinks company, is planning to create a new category in the UK drinks sector with the launch of a single-shot energy drink, Quick Energy, this month.

  • Waitrose customer club aims for brand affinity

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Waitrose is launching its first loyalty-style customer club later this month as part of a major push to retain key customers and build its profile with food lovers. The launch of the Waitrose Food Club is being driven by the chain's managing director, Mark Price.

  • Waitrose to launch ezine for men

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Waitrose aims to woo young male customers with a new online version of its customer magazine Seasons. The title will be emailed to 1.3m subscribers of men's magazines such as Maxim and Men's Fitness as part of a partnership deal with Dennis Publishing.

  • Walkers trials six new flavours

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    Walkers Crisps is trialling a raft of unusual new flavours including Cajun Squirrel and chilli and chocolate following a public competition to find an inspired new flavour. The new variants will launch today (January 9).

  • Wembley Arena seals beer deal

    Fri, 9 Jan 2009

    InBev UK, the maker of Stella Artois, has signed a deal to become the exclusive beer supplier to Wembley Arena. It has signed a two-year deal with the site's owner Quintain Estates and Development.

  • Work Club wins Oakley ad account

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Oakley UK, the eyewear brand, has appointed London-based agency Work Club to handle its advertising following a pitch against undisclosed agencies. Work Club will oversee a men's lifestyle project in the UK market.

  • Yahoo! appoints new chief executive

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Yahoo! has appointed computer industry veteran Carol Bartz as its new chief executive. Bartz is the former chairman of software maker Autodesk and replaces Jerry Yang.

  • Yorkshire Water launches digital campaign

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Yorkshire Water is launching a digital campaign following a complete redesign of its website.

  • Zavvi closes 22 stores

    Thu, 8 Jan 2009

    Home entertainment retailer Zavvi has shut 22 of its stores today (8 January) following the appointment of an administrator on Christmas Eve. The chain, previously Virgin Megastore, has been caught up in the financial collapse of Woolworths.

  • Zavvi shuts another 18 stores

    Wed, 14 Jan 2009

    Home entertainment retailer, Zaavi, has closed 18 of its stores. It comes in a month which has already seen it shut over 20 stores.

Job of the Week

Latest Jobs

Top Jobs

social+media Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
knowledge+bank